The US Embassy, USAID, NED, and other institutions acted in a concerted manner against the Georgian people and state, – Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated in response to a journalist’s question regarding US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statement on USAID’s activities.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday told an official with the United States Agency for International Development that foreign aid was “the least popular thing government spends money on” and had become increasingly difficult to defend, according to a transcript of a private embassy event.
Mr. Rubio sought to explain his support for the Trump administration’s systematic dismantling of USAID during a question-and-answer session he held at the US Embassy in Guatemala City, one day after thousands of agency workers overseas learned that they were being placed on administrative leave and must return home to the United States.
The Prime Minister expressed hope that “the new administration would usher in a shift in the US Embassy’s approach towards Georgia, thereby putting an end to the detrimental coordination that has existed between the Embassy, USAID, NED, and other relevant entities.”
“We anticipate that these changes will have a broader impact, affecting not only USAID and NED but also the Embassy’s activities as a whole,” Irakli Kobakhidze said.
“We are hopeful that under the new administration, the US Embassy’s approach towards the Georgian people and state will undergo a significant transformation, and the harmful coordination between the Embassy, USAID, NED, and other entities will cease to exist,” he added.
